There doesn't seem to be any shortage of unrated/uncut CHIBA/STREETFIGHTER movies but no one seems to have an uncut SISTER STREETFIGHTER, although it has some jarring edits. I have the Newline VHS box set which has an unrated widescreen STREETFIGHTER and P&S R-Rated versions of RETURN/LAST REVENGE and SISTER. I believe most (all?) of the PD releases of the first three are unrated dupes of the NEW LINE laserdiscs but I understand there's no uncut version of SISTER in circulation. Can anyone confirm this? I don't want to bother with the PD titles because there's a new UK box set coming soon and it should be uncut and anamorphic. Doesn't have SISTER in it though.

Victor

It's out there, but only in Japan. My understanding is, like the Return of the Streetfighter, the film was cut before it was dubbed into English for violence. I've got a copy of the first film uncut, as well as the other films in the series. You're right, it is cut, and by quite a bit, something like 8-10 minutes I think(it's been a while since I watched it). One standout scene has a man kicked in the head so hard it snaps his neck all the way around as he continues walking down some stairs, some entrails, etc. Overall, it makes the first film MUCH more like a part of the Streetfighter series and parts 2-4 are even better. Part two and three team her up with genre fave Yasuaki Kurata and are superior films all the way around. The Streetfigher series(including Sister Streetfighter) is supposed to be released in the future from a U.S. company. They have a copy of my tape to look at/for the missing footage, so hopefully we'll see an uncut version in English for the first time. BTW, rumor persist that Streetfighter’s Last Revenge is also cut in it’s U.S. version.

They aren't on DVD in Japan, are they? Because to my knowledge there are no digibeta masters for the SISTER STREETFIGHTER films uncut from Toei. They also probably want $30k or more for the rights and since no less than 3 or 4 grey market videos/discs have been released, there isn't much incentive to pay all that money, and then go through the expense of transferring the materials on titles that have (illegal) competition in the market place. As a licensee, you'd never recoup your investment. This is why you should steer clear of unlicensed merchandise, because it hurts the possibility of the real thing being released.

"They aren't on DVD in Japan, are they? Because to my knowledge there are no digibeta masters for the SISTER STREETFIGHTER films uncut from Toei."

Nope, no Japanese dvd that I know of. Mine are original tapes which were released by Toei. But at least one of the films played on the Toei channel a couple of years ago, as I have a few tapes full of stuff a friend of mine taped for me from there with one of the films advertised to play on the channel. I THINK it was the second of the series. Truth be told, I'd be very surprised Toei has kept nearly all it's other films (great and small) in good shape and let this series be ravaged by the elements though. ;)

"They also probably want $30k or more for the rights and since no less than 3 or 4 grey market videos/discs have been released, there isn't much incentive to pay all that money, and then go through the expense of transferring the materials on titles that have (illegal) competition in the market place."

Quite right, Toei is infamous for their high prices for rights. And difficult to deal with as well. But are you talking about The Streetfigher or Sister Streetfigher series here? You're correct that The Streetfighter series has been bootlegged to death. But the Sister Streetfighter series has never seen an uncut release that I'm aware of outside of Japan on video. Considering the amount of fans of Chiba's series, and Sue Shihomi herself, it would be a great pickup for a company to release an all but unknown series of karate movies with ties to Chiba. The same goes for Tadashi Yamashita's Karate(AKA The Champion) series. The U.S. version was cut and redubbed to Bronson Lee, Champion. This is a series of three films, the first has never seen an uncut release in the U.S. and the last two have never been released outside of Japan as far as I'm aware. These would also be an excellent pick up for a company, as they are VERY different from what Bronson Lee shows.

As has been pointed out, The Streetfighter series has already been licensed both in the U.K. and the U.S., as well as other countries forthcoming, so the argument is moot. There IS still a market for legit releases of the films among the fans, because they want what every fan does, the best possible release. This would me releases with the original intros, uncut, and subbed and dubbed options. Would it be something the average buyer would go for? If it has Sonny Chiba after Kill Bill and was marketed right, sure.

"As a licensee, you'd never recoup your investment. This is why you should steer clear of unlicensed merchandise, because it hurts the possibility of the real thing being released."

I agree, to a point. But you also factor in that without some dealings in these areas, there would be little or no fanbases for companies to sell their films to. Many of the companies and fans themselves wouldn't even know what they were buying. I'd wager few of the western fans in the Euro and Asian sections of this site, who started learning or writing about these films in the 80s and 90s wouldn't have a clue what they're talking about without some sort of unlicensed product. I know I couldn't have written any of the liner notes or articles I have without prior knowledge of the subject. The problem is, nowadays the "grey market" is in our malls and shopping centers, instead of a small tape trading clique among fans.

As far as I know, there are only three "Sister Streetfighter" films -- there are a couple of other films in which Shihomi starred as a deadly ass-kicker, but these were different characters than her HK-born whirlwind.

You're right August, I meant to put 2 and 3. There IS a film that many people think is part of the series as a fourth film, but it's really something different. I REALLY wish someone would get off their butts and put out "13 Steps" as well.

Let's see if Adness America steps up to the plate...